FORMER PM ALLAWI CALLS FOR SINGULAR FOCUS ON

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 000758

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/28/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV PINS PINR PTER IR IZ
SUBJECT: FORMER PM ALLAWI CALLS FOR SINGULAR FOCUS ON
SECURITY

REF: A. BAGHDAD 622


B. BAGHDAD 612

C. BAGHDAD 678

Classified By: Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (S) Summary: Following the February 26 approval of a
draft hydrocarbons law by the Council of Ministers, the
Ambassador discussed next steps on other key political
priorities with Former PM Allawi February 27. Allawi
contented that security should be the one and only priority
and called USG pressure for fast action on political issues
such as hydrocarbons and provincial elections laws
counterproductive. Allawi also brief the Ambassador on his
progress to establish a broad moderate coalition. End
summary.

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Hydrocarbons, U.S. Should Back Off
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2. (C) The Ambassador characterized the recent hydrocarbons
success as setting an important precedent for Iraqis working
together in a unifying manner (ref A). Allawi disagreed; he
called U.S. efforts to reach a compromise on hydrocarbons a
"waste of time," and predicted the draft will have problems
in the Council of Representatives (CoR),and cause strife in
the implementation. The former PM advised the USG to step
back pressure on the GOI to push through a whole list of
political items and focus single-mindedly on security. The
Ambassador said that our next priorities are
de-Ba'athification and militias, both of which have a direct
impact on the security situation.

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De-Ba'athification, an issue of Force Protection
-------------- ---


3. (C) Allawi said that Sunni VP and IIP chief Tariq
al-Hashimi said to him on February 25 that he had read the
draft de-Ba'athification law and agrees with it. The
Ambassador said that he planned to meet in the next day or so
with SCIRI VP Abdel Mehdi to elicit his support, and that
President Talibani has already blessed the draft 'as is.'
Allawi and the Ambassador agreed that de-ba'athification
reform was a critical component in establishing security.

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Militias
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4. (S) The Ambassador asked Allawi for his views and those of
his Iraqiyya party as the U.S. works to develop a plan to
deal with militias. Allawi commented that this effort was
"way overdue," and suggested that insurgent groups also be
treated as militias. The former PM promised to forward
Iraqiyya's ideas to the Embassy in the next few days, which
he said focus on amnesty and reintegration.

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Gathering a Moderate Coalition
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5. (C) Allawi said he was still engaged in discussions with
numerous political parties on formation of a broad moderate
coalition aimed as "rebalancing" the Iraqi political scene
(ref B). Tawafuq is still considering joining the effort,
said Allawi, adding that discussions are on-going with a
variety of players including Deputy PM Barham Salih, parts of
the Da'wa party, and Fadhila. He also said he was
approaching potential partners from outside the Parliament.


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SCIRI/Badr and Iran Inseparable
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6. (S) Allawi said that despite SCIRI's protest, many Iraqis
in Najaf were actually "jubilant" about the February 23
detention of SCIRI leader Abdul Aziz Hakim's son, Ammar
Hakim, by coalition forces (ref C). He said that Abdul Aziz
does not enjoy the same respect among the population in Shia
centers Najaf and Kerbala as had his brother Mohamed Bakr,
and that "they refer to Ammar as (Saddam Hussein's son)
Uday."


7. (S) On U.S. efforts to wrestle SCIRI away from Iran,
particularly concerning SCIRI/Badr funding and infiltration
by Iranian intelligence organizations, Allawi said that "the
two cannot be separated." Abdul Aziz, Allawi explained, was
known as the "intelligence guy" before his brother's
assassination. The former PM maintained that, lacking any

BAGHDAD 00000758 002 OF 002


real Iraqi base, without Iranian funding and support SCIRI
would "be finished in a year."

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Comment
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8. (C) Allawi's efforts to form a moderate coalition continue
to evolve. He appears to be casting a wider net to include
figures outside of the CoR. The players who fall within the
'80-member' alliance also continue to shift, as Allawi
claimed all 15 Fadhila seats firmly within his camp on
February 22, but said this time negotiations with Fadhila are
ongoing. Who might make up this coalition and what platform
it would advocate remains, for the time being, very much in
the discussion stage. End comment.
KHALILZAD